Media content streaming using stream message fragments

• US 8,412,841 B1
• Filed: 08/17/2009
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Swaminathan, Viswanathan, Mitra, Saayan
• Primary Examiner(s): LAZARO, DAVID R
• Application Number:
  US12/542,552
• Time in Patent Office: 1,324 Days
• Field of Search: 709/225, 709/229, 709/231, 709/230, 709/236, 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2282 Tablespace storage structures; Management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for media content streaming can include transacting access information associated with a media stream and transacting one or more fragments associated with the media stream to facilitate a delivery of media content associated with the media stream. Access information can include fragment sequencing information to facilitate individual retrieval of fragments associated with the media stream using a uniform resource identifier via a processing device configured to cache content. A fragment can include one or more stream messages. A stream message can include a message header and a corresponding media data sample. The message header can include a message stream identifier, a message type identifier, a timestamp, and a message length value.

Claims

1. A method performed by data processing apparatus, comprising:

transacting access information associated with a media stream, the access information comprising fragment sequencing information to facilitate individual retrieval of fragments associated with the media stream using a uniform resource identifier via a processing device configured to cache content,

wherein the fragments comprise stream messages, wherein separate ones of the stream messages comprise a message header and a corresponding media data sample, wherein the message header comprises a message stream identifier, a message type identifier, a timestamp, and a message length value; and

transacting one or more of the fragments associated with the media stream to facilitate a delivery of media content associated with the media stream.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transacting one or more of the fragments associated with the media stream comprises sending the one or more of the fragments to the processing device, wherein the processing device is configured to cache fragments associated with the media stream and to deliver cached fragments to a remote device using a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the access information comprises identities of multiple servers, including the processing device, configured to cache one or more fragments associated with the media stream, the method further comprising causing the remote device to request different fragments from different ones of the servers, and to assemble requested fragments to play at least a portion of the media stream.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

producing one or more additional fragments based on an incremental media data addition to the media stream;

providing updated access information to a remote device to reflect the one or more additional fragments; and

causing the processing device to cache the one or more additional fragments.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the fragment sequencing information comprises one or more fragment time durations and a number of fragments associated with each fragment time duration, the fragment sequencing information being arranged to indicate a fragment play order.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the message header is formatted in accordance with a Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), the method further comprising causing a remote device to process media data based on the information contained in at least one message header, wherein one or more of the fragments comprise a RTMP message associated with audio data interleaved with a RTMP message associated with video data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the access information comprises a segment run table to identify runs of segments and a fragment run table to identify runs of fragments, wherein the fragment run tables includes the fragment sequencing information.

8. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

transacting access information associated with a media stream, the access information comprising fragment sequencing information to facilitate individual retrieval of fragments associated with the media stream using a uniform resource identifier via a processing device configured to cache content,

wherein the fragments comprise stream messages, wherein separate ones of the stream messages comprise a message header and a corresponding media data sample, wherein the message header comprises a message stream identifier, a message type identifier, a timestamp, and a message length value; and

transacting one or more of the fragments associated with the media stream to facilitate a delivery of media content associated with the media stream.

9. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein transacting one or more of the fragments associated with the media stream comprises sending the one or more of the fragments to the processing device, wherein the processing device is configured to cache fragments associated with the media stream and to deliver cached fragments to a remote device using a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

10. The computer storage medium of claim 9, wherein the access information comprises identities of multiple servers, including the processing device, configured to cache one or more fragments associated with the media stream, the operations further comprising causing the remote device to request different fragments from different ones of the servers, and to assemble requested fragments to play at least a portion of the media stream.

11. The computer storage medium of claim 9, the operations further comprising:

producing one or more additional fragments based on an incremental media data addition to the media stream;

providing updated access information to a remote device to reflect the one or more additional fragments; and

causing the processing device to cache the one or more additional fragments.

12. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein the fragment sequencing information comprises one or more fragment time durations and a number of fragments associated with each fragment time duration, the fragment sequencing information being arranged to indicate a fragment play order.

13. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein the message header is formatted in accordance with a Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), the operations further comprising causing a remote device to process media data based on the information contained in at least one message header, wherein one or more of the fragments comprise a RTMP message associated with audio data interleaved with a RTMP message associated with video data.

14. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein the access information comprises a segment run table to identify runs of segments and a fragment run table to identify runs of fragments, wherein the fragment run tables includes the fragment sequencing information.

15. A system comprising:

a first processing device configured to cache content; and

a second processing device operable to interact with the first processing device, the second processing device configured to perform operations comprising;

transacting access information associated with a media stream, the access information comprising fragment sequencing information to facilitate individual retrieval of fragments associated with the media stream using a uniform resource identifier via the processing device,

wherein the fragments comprise stream messages, wherein separate ones of the stream messages comprise a message header and a corresponding media data sample, wherein the message header comprises a message stream identifier, a message type identifier, a timestamp, and a message length value; and

transacting one or more of the fragments associated with the media stream to facilitate a delivery of media content associated with the media stream.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein transacting one or more of the fragments associated with the media stream comprises sending the one or more of the fragments to the first processing device, wherein the first processing device is configured to cache fragments associated with the media stream and to deliver cached fragments to a remote device using a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

17. The system of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

producing one or more additional fragments based on an incremental media data addition to the media stream;

providing updated access information to a remote device to reflect the one or more additional fragments; and

causing the first processing device to cache the one or more additional fragments.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the fragment sequencing information comprises one or more fragment time durations and a number of fragments associated with each fragment time duration, the fragment sequencing information being arranged to indicate a fragment play order.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the message header is formatted in accordance with a Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), the operations further comprising causing a remote device to process media data based on the information contained in at least one message header, wherein one or more of the fragments comprise a RTMP message associated with audio data interleaved with a RTMP message associated with video data.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the access information comprises a segment run table to identify runs of segments and a fragment run table to identify runs of fragments, wherein the fragment run tables includes the fragment sequencing information.